The exotic food of Vietnam is half the fun

Food from Vietnam has enjoyed great global
success in recent decades. Any city worth its salt will have several Vietnamese restaurants along with the usual Thai, Indian and Malaysian options. From Melbourne to Manhattan, this exotic and excitingly different cuisine is always a delight to try.

But like many types of cooking, there is no place like home for really getting a handle on what Vietnamese food is all about. It’s time to book a flight and alert the personal trainer.

Firstly, Vietnamese food is known for its common use of rice, fruits, vegetables and fish sauce and soy sauce. Herbs and spices are typically lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and lime juice. Throughout the whole of Vietnam, fresh vegetables and fresh herbs are served as side dishes, accompanied by a dipping sauce. Meat is usually beef, chicken, pork, shrimps and other seafood.

Many of Vietnam’s most famous dishes, such as pho (rice-noodle soup using finely sliced meat) and banh cuon (pancake-like rolls containing ground pork and mushrooms) originate from the north. In the centre, dishes are quite different and use plenty of smaller side dishes and are often quite spicy. In southern Vietnam, Chinese settlers have influenced the cooking, lending it a sweeter and frequently more exotic flavour.

There are many different dishes to sample. Often rich and tasty, noodle soups are a sumptuous staple here and vary enormously from region to region. Pho is a beef noodle soup with a rich, clear broth. There are a huge number of variations of pho, sometimes using chicken instead of beef. It is often served up in bowls along with partially cooked slices of beef that you are meant to place in the hot broth to cook them, as well as plenty of the ever-popular spring onion.

If you like noodles, go for Bun cha. This is one of the easier and highly popular dishes. It consists of vermicelli noodles and grilled pork, usually shredded, served up on top of salad and sliced cucumber, bean sprouts and herbs. There are usually some egg rolls chopped up and thrown in along with shrimps and spring onions. Topped with roasted peanuts, it’s a delightful and filling dish.

For rice-lovers, Com ga rau thom is mint chicken rice. The rice is cooked in chicken stock and topped with chicken that is first fried then shredded and flavoured with mint and other herbs. This process gives the rice a very different taste and texture, accentuated by fried mint used as a garnish and a herb sauce served alongside the main dish.

Curries are also excellent in Vietnam and so are justifiably popular, particularly in the south. The use of coconut makes them quite similar to Thai curries and chicken curry with rice is usually a good bet.

For more unusual tastes, adventurous travellers can try Hot vit lon. This speciality is a fertilized duck egg with a partially-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. It is usually accompanied by fresh herbs such as Vietnamese coriander and finished with a squeeze of lime juice.

Other delicacies include goat, turtle and even snake if you really want to try something new. Finish with any number of desserts, from caramel flan to fresh fruit like papaya or durian.

Related posts:

• Weird And Wacky Food In The Far East
• Explore The Magical Wonder Of Halong Bay, Vietnam
• Steve Cooper on where to get the best curry in Sharm el Sheikh …
• Head To Barbados For The Best In Food, Wine And Rum This November
• Daphne’s Restaurant, Barbados